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» 18-01-10, 03:44

CHERYL Cole has started work on her second solo album and is upping the ante.
I can reveal America’s biggest songwriter Ryan Tedder, 30, was in the studio with the Girls Aloud star at the weekend.

And it proves plans to crack the States are definitely at the forefront of the Geordie singer’s mind.

Ryan told me: “I got into England early on Saturday and went straight into the studio with Cheryl. We’re going to try and take the dance thing in a quirky new direction and make it a little more funky."
“I’m very excited about the tracks. I’m not going to turn her into something weird but it’s different to anything she’s done.”

With Simon Cowell, 50, keen for Chezza, 26, to give him a helping hand Stateside, a spot on the judging panel of X Factor America would tie in nicely.

And OneRepublic frontman Ryan, who has penned international smashes like Beyoncé’s Halo and Leona Lewis’s Bleeding Love, is impressed by the Fight For This Love singer’s British credentials.

He said: “Cheryl’s about as famous as J-Lo was in her heyday but she’s so nice and genuine. Cheryl said there are songs Americans can get away with and she can’t."

“It’s typical for a successful American female to put out a song about how famous or rich they are. But that’s not a British thing to do. Cheryl connects with being real and this is what the songs are about.”

On the surface, Ryan Tedder exudes professional poise and a calm born of Pentecostal faith. But they mask the fact that the hottest songwriter/producer in the land also is the most harried, with a head full of hooks and beats that just ... will ... not ... stop streaming onto the charts.

"I'm Mr. 20 plates spinning to the extreme," says Tedder, 31. Consider what he's pulling out of the cupboard these days:

•He's up for two top Grammys on Jan. 31: record of the year for Halo, a No. 1 hit he co-wrote and produced for Beyoncé, and album of the year for Beyoncé's I Am ... Sasha Fierce, a No. 1 album on which he has writing and production credits.

MORE: What goes through Tedder's mind as he composes?

•He co-wrote and produced the single Happy (more than 402,000 downloads sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan) and two other songs for Leona Lewis' new Echo album.

•His work probably will show up on 2010 releases from Katy Perry, Adele, Estelle, Jennifer Hudson, Cheryl Cole, Orianthi and Nikki Flores, an artist he discovered and signed to his Patriot Records. That comes on the heels of projects he did last year with Rihanna, Daughtry, Jordin Sparks and Rascal Flatts.

Somehow he found time to write, record and tour behind a second album with his own group, OneRepublic Released in November, Waking Up and single All the Right Moves have scored modest chart success, though nothing like the group's 2007 platinum debut, Dreaming Out Loud, which spawned Apologize.

This avalanche comes despite the fact that Tedder turns down 90% of his business opportunities. "The best decision I can make is to say 'no,' " he says. "When I'm trying to do eight artists at the same time, I don't do my best work. I would rather put out two year-defining songs a year than flood the market with eight or nine songs."

Since becoming the go-to guy over the past few years in R&B, country and pop, he has discovered that "some of the best songs come when I'm not trying to get on anybody's album. I just sit down at the piano and write because I like writing. Honest to God, I would do it for free."

That's not crazy talk — he really appears to have soaked up admirable values and a solid work ethic while growing up in Oklahoma (he's now based in Denver) and listening only to Christian music for the first nine years of his life.

"Music is the most influential thing in the world, along with religion," he says. "And for some, music is religion."

Once he discovered secular sounds, "a light went off," and he knew it would be his career path. "I started at 20 with a record deal (and) paid dues for seven years in a major way," including a stint in Nashville, where he learned the songwriting craft. "Eventually, I connected. I haven't arrived at all by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm happy with where I'm at."

Tedder's greatest strength may be his versatility — and that may be the key to a long career, says Bill Gamble, program director for country station WUSN-FM and adult contemporary station WCFS-FM, both in Chicago. "There are just some people out there who have a God-given ability to write hit songs. If you connect, no one cares how long you've been doing it or how old you are."

Though Tedder realizes he has a hot hand at the moment, he says he always favors a tried-and-true approach. "I'm trying not to follow fads too much," he says. "People will always want to hear an honest lyric with a great melody, something they emotionally connect with. Honest always sells. Always has, always will."

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» 18-01-10, 03:49

I really can't understand what Cheryl has done to deserve an American singing career, it's very strange indeed, I doubt most Americans will understand her speaking voice and her singing voice is ok at best.

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» 18-01-10, 04:02

Originally Posted by t_dot

She probably adding new material to the US edition, were are not getting a whole new album before the next Girls Aloud album.

This would be ideal, but with Nadine releasing her album in April time and to only have around six months promotion for her project (or probably less considering the time she would have to put in for recording), I think this could actually be true. :(

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» 18-01-10, 04:02

Yeh I'm pretty sure it'll be for a U.S version of the album rather than a 2nd album. I STILL think there's a chance that "3 Words" will score a re-release before the new G.A album drops.
I'm not sure what sources to believe because alot of people say she's super keen to crack the states and then Cheryl says she's not ready for it and is happier as part of a group for the moment.

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» 18-01-10, 09:28

Originally Posted by SholasBoy

I really can't understand what Cheryl has done to deserve an American singing career, it's very strange indeed, I doubt most Americans will understand her speaking voice and her singing voice is ok at best.

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» 18-01-10, 10:08

If this is really gonna happen and aim towards a U.S market I'd love her to work on some urban sounds (like she was said to be working on for her debut) to mix in with the pop. I don't know why but when Cheryl does an urban vibe I believe it.

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» 18-01-10, 13:20

I really don't want another solo album, I just want another Girls Aloud album. I love Cheryl and I think Three Words is a great album, but nowhere near as good as most of the Girls Aloud albums.
Ever since she went international, I had the feeling it was going to be the end of Girls Aloud. I really hope I'm wrong though.

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» 18-01-10, 16:46

Originally Posted by SholasBoy

I really can't understand what Cheryl has done to deserve an American singing career, it's very strange indeed, I doubt most Americans will understand her speaking voice and her singing voice is ok at best.

Her & Nadine are gonna have a hard time cracking America! Good luck though

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» 18-01-10, 19:06

I would imagine Girls Aloud will release an album this year (about Oct time) and then Cheryl will release a second album next year about the same time the xfactor is on in the US. I also think these new tracks are for a re-release in this country in the spring.